Discussion

“Do you think a minimum price of 45p per unit of alcohol sold in shops and supermarkets, which is currently being proposed, will help cut down on binge drinking and other alcohol related problems? And will a ban on cut-price offers (such as 2 for 1) make a difference?”

If the government did not put giant vat on beer in pubs and the prices
was set at the real value then the pubs would be full,the pub landlords would benefit, and the corner shops would stop selling as much to street drinkers and the idiots who are out their heads before they go into a pub or nightclub.

If you take an average pint of beer/lager in a pub at say 2.5 units, then they charge way over the odds anyway. Spirits are ridiculously overpriced considering 1 unit is a standard 25ml shot, and so is wine which is around £2.50 for 175ml which is 2 units @ 12% - ish.
So the only real losers will be those responsible drinkers who buy their non-premium branded beer/cider which will shoot up in cost as will the white lightning variety . You can also still get a drinkable bottle of plonk for less than 45p/unit though.
It is the cheap, mega alcohol content beers/ciders that will suffer which is of course the alcoholics' choice. If the legislation curbs this without interfering with my favourite tipple at home, then fine. This is what they did in Scotland although I am not sure what the health statistics have since concluded.

I have to say that I totally agree with asctty, The only ones who will lose out will be the responsible drinkers, like the pensioners. The real Alcoholics will find the money for drink from somewhere, I know of one alcoholic (a Doctor) if it went up to £5 or even £10 a unit he would still be able to afford it, the same goes for all these people who earn over £40,000 a year.
In my opinion all this minimum price per unit is just another way of Taxing the lower paid.

make_redgreen - I stand corrected. The legislation has been passed though, whilst a yet another interfering decision from the EU is awaited:
http://tinyurl.com/cg6pugk
The plan for a minimum unit price has no more supprt up North of course for the same reasons I have posted.

There would be no need for this legislation if they enforced the laws that already exist, ie, don't serve under 18's and don't serve anyone who is drunk. Anyone found breaching these should have their licence taken away.

So once again the silent majority suffer because of a mindless minority, more pubs will close, more crime will be committed by alcoholics and others to get their booze, and the extra income will be spent on this.
Ferry company's will see an upsurge in trade as many more white vans cross into Europe to load up with booze and another black market will be created as they currently have with tobacco.

As far as I'm aware this isn't a tax i.e. it is the vendor who will pocket the extra cash. Although a decrease in sales may offset this.
Truth is 2.5 x 45p = £1.13. If you know a pub that will have to increase its prices to this please let me know where it is!

I am against a minimum price for a unit of alcohol, when you stop to think what it is saying.
Is that it is all right for someone who is earning Good wages (£35,000 or above a year) to drink irresponsible, but it is wrong for someone who is who is on a lower income or unemployed, to drink irresponsibly.
The message we should be trying to get across is that it is wrong to drink irresponsibly, the only way that we can do this is to ban the drinking of alcohol in the streets and for bar staff to refuse to serve anyone who they think is drunk or behaving irresponsibly.
We must remember that some people cannot drink like the rest of us, and they become addicted to alcohol, so the ones who profit from brewing and selling it should share some of the responsibility for those who are addicted, and share some of the costs of treating them in hospital.

The minimum price will only apply to supermarkets who are currently selling it as loss leaders. It will not make any difference to the price of a pint in your local pub where I would guess the steady drinkers go.